


One Day at a Time

by telliefan (captainamergirl)



Category: One Life to Live
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 19:13:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6870001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainamergirl/pseuds/telliefan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kelly drops a bombshell on Joey but he's far more understanding than most men would be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Day at a Time

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place back in a slightly AU version of 1999. Basically a serial rapist and murderer was stalking females in Llanview and Joey found a dead blonde he thought was Kelly at first but of course, fortunately it wasn’t. Still this makes for an interesting plot for this one shot.

**One Day at a Time**  
  
He held her close to his chest, cradled her really, as she watched tears form in his eyes. “God, Kel, if it had been you ...”  
  
Kelly placed her hand on his chest in an attempt to calm him and reassure him. “Joey, it wasn’t me,” she said. “So you don’t have to worry anymore.”  
  
Joey nodded. “I know but when I found that woman in the grass, face down, all I could see was her blonde hair and I thought ‘Kelly, that’s Kelly’. And when it wasn’t there was so much relief inside of me. I realize someone died, that it was horrible and tragic for them and their loved ones, but if it had been you...” Again his voice trailed off before he added, “I never would have gotten over it.”  
  
Kelly rested her head against his chest and she began to think where she had actually been when Joey was discovering a dead body at Angel Square. She had been cuddled up in his brother’s arms, enjoying his kisses as much as she despised them. If Joey knew that, he’d surely never forgive her. But some part of her... Well, some part of her - maybe her conscience or just an insanity gene - almost wanted to confess so she could stop feeling so guilty and so she could try to make things right and figure out why she always screwed up relationships so badly, especially the best one she ever had.  
  
“Joe, you are so sweet,” she said. “If you only knew what I was ...” She sighed and felt tears prick the back of her eyes. “God, you wouldn’t have missed me if you knew the truth. You maybe would have wanted me to be that dead body.”  
  
Joey looked at her in shock and horror. “How can you say that? I would never in a thousand years wish you gone, not for anything. I love you too much.”  
  
At that admission of true, abiding affection Kelly burst into tears. Joey immediately pressed his lips to her cheeks and tried to kiss away her tears, cupping her chin in his hands. “Kelly, its okay. I know you’re upset about the events of this evening but its okay - you’re okay.”  
  
“I’m not, Joey, I’m not okay,” Kelly murmured as tears continued down her face. “What I did ... Its not okay.”  
  
Joey stared at her. “I don’t know what you mean.”  
  
Kelly pulled away from him and got to her feet. They had been sitting by the fire but it failed to warm her in any way. “I just don’t deserve you, Joe. Maybe I never have. You’re good and kind and amazing and -”  
  
Joey got up as well and reached for her hand but she pulled away. She didn’t deserve his love, his understanding. She didn’t deserve anyone so wonderful. She had betrayed him time and again and he didn’t deserve that.  
  
“What’s wrong, Kelly?” he asked. “Its like you can’t stand to be around me tonight.”  
  
Kelly shook her head. “Its not that, Joey. Its that I don’t feel I deserve to be around you - tonight or any other night.”  
  
“What are you talking about? Of course you deserve me. We worked so hard to get back to this place, this good place where we can finally be happy.”  
  
Tears kept coming. “Joey, I wish that I could tell you the truth ... But if I do, you’re going to walk out on me and I couldn’t take that. I love you too much -”  
  
He held up a hand. “Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming here?”  
  
Kelly dabbed at her moist face. “Cause you know me too well. You always have. But you’ve always put so much faith and trust in me and like I said, I don’t deserve it.”  
  
Joey shook his head. “That’s not true. And you can tell me whatever’s on your mind. Nothing will ever make me walk out on you or leave you.”  
  
“This will.”  
  
“No, it won’t. Talk to me, okay? Tell me what has you so upset.”  
  
“Jesus, Joe, I don’t know where to begin. I just don’t.”  
  
“You can start from the beginning,” Joey said.  
  
“I don’t know where it all started really. I guess after Grace died maybe. Kevin was distraught. He needed someone. We were working closely together on The Banner. One thing lead to another and before I could honestly say why I did it, we were ...” Her voice broke off as she saw the look of shock, horror and devastated realization on Joey’s face.  
  
He shook his head. “You’re saying that you - you and MY BROTHER - are ...” He couldn’t say the words anymore than she could.  
  
“Yes, Joey, yes. We have been ... sleeping together. For the past few months. I wish I could say it didn’t mean anything but that would be a lie because I know it means something to you, something to our relationship.”  
  
“Damn right it does, Kelly! You’ve been sleeping around on me - with MY BROTHER. How - how could ... Why wasn’t I enough for you?”  
  
“You were, Joey, god you are! I love you so much. I don’t know why I keep destroying the single best person I ever have known. I keep costing you everything.”  
  
“If I was important to you, if you really loved me, you never would have done this,” Joey spat and started for the door when she called out after him.  
  
“You promised, Joey. You promised you wouldn’t walk out on me. Not for anything.”  
  
Joey whipped around. “You’re going to hold me to that promise? After you admitted you and my brother have been fooling around - sleeping together, keeping me in the dark for months like a total fool?”  
  
“I am sorry if it sounds like I’m blackmailing you, using your words against you. Maybe I am in some way but I don’t want you to go. I don’t love Kevin; I never have. I was just afraid - afraid to be loved so much by you. Afraid if I didn’t hurt you first, I’d lose you.”  
  
“Psycho-babble, Kelly. That’s what it is.”  
  
“I know and it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of why I do the things I do but I swear, Joey, you are the only one for me. Tonight when I saw the fear in your eyes when you recalled thinking I was dead ... I knew I could never give that up. That I don’t want to. I know it will take awhile, a long while, to gain your trust back after what I did but I want to try, Joey. I will do anything. Just don’t give up on me.”  
  
Tears now dripped down Joey’s face and Kelly longed to reach out and wipe them away but didn’t dare. She had put them there, how could she dare take them away? He was entitled to them. She had betrayed him in the worst way imaginable. But god, did she love him. God did she ever. It had taken a helluva lot of mistakes to realize just how much he meant to her but he did mean the whole world to her.  
  
“Some day, Joey, say you can forgive me.”  
  
Joey slowly nodded. “I can forgive you in time for this affair, Kelly, but I ... I couldn’t have forgiven you if you left me, if you died, if you walked out for good. We can make this right one day. It will just take time.”  
  
Kelly nodded. “I love you, Joey Buchanan. Maybe you don’t believe that now but its true. I will never stop fighting for you, for us. Believe that.”  
  
“I do believe it. We’ll figure this out, Kelly, one day at a time.”  
  
FINIS.


End file.
